Inspirations for future creations

mobile

“We’re not building a phone. We’re not building an operating system, but we’re building something that’s a whole lot deeper than just an ordinary app.” – Zuckerberg

NOW if you’ve not heard of this new ‘hype’ then Zeelous will happily explain!
Facebook Home is a new app for Android. It is an innovative way of turning your Android phone into a social phone. Facebook revealed “Facebook Home” software to place the world’s social network front and centre on Android users’ smartphones.

BUT before we get into the ‘nitty gritty’ of Facebook Home and what it is really about, here are some points to consider…

We at Zeelous love our social networking and Facebook is no exception! We each enjoy our own accounts and access them daily. However, would we want Facebook as our phone home screen? We couldn’t say… Would you appreciate the idea of having your phone as Facebook? Or is that not what Facebook Home is about?

Facebook’s new mobile platform is like a home without curtains; your exhibitionism is very much in their interest. But there’s no need to opt out entirely, people spend more time on Facebook than on any other app so a device with the look and feel of Facebook could potentially be hugely popular. Facebook’s use of the word “Home” for the app does reflect though, the site’s attraction to many of its billion users shows this and smartphone users already spend a third of their time on Facebook, so if this is you, then why not make it even easier and get the app for yourself?
WELL… While Facebook Home may encourage us to use Facebook for all our text messaging, phone-number storage, instant chat, and so on, does this mean that Facebook will come to “know” even more about us… Or is this all to sell adverts? Mark Zuckerberg announced that advertising might be coming to Facebook Home’s news feed, which would mean that ads will eventually be houseguests in Facebook Home. (Something for consideration)

If you like having your Facebook life separate from the other functions of your phone, then Facebook Home may not be ideal for you. Would you want your phone dedicated to Facebook all the time? Having Facebook Home might mean that you would have to click through Facebook’s interface before getting to other apps you use, such as Twitter, YouTube, the Internet?

WE at Zeelous think there is much to be deliberated before we ourselves would consider getting and using this app.

If you feel differently or would just like to know more about this app then use the link below where information on the app such as; Cover feed, Notifications, Chat Heads, App Launcher, How to get Facebook Home and Facebook and mobile presence can be found.

Within the industry, it is becoming increasingly apparent with each passing day that mobile platforms are becoming an indispensable part of digital marketing. For a second, I’d like you to imagine you are about to leave the house and are rounding up all the essentials for your day. What did you take with you? I’d wager that your phone was amongst your personal set of ‘essentials’.

It is currently estimated that around 4.8 billion, yes – billion, people own a mobile phone (MindJumpers) , whether that be feature or smart. Highlighting the importance of mobile marketing, and the potential reach it can achieve. Another fact that may interest you is that the world’s most populous countries of India and China are still experiencing increases in mobile phone user penetration. China is currently around 65% penetration (Pasqua and Elkin) as opposed to North America and Europe that enjoy consistently high penetration – the UK is above 80%!

So what can we expect from mobile platforms in the future? Despite already being in full and wide use across many devices and operating systems; we at Zeelous are excited to see the development of Near Field Communication (NFC) and QR technology. Many new handsets are equipped with NFC systems which facilitate proximity marketing as well as allowing for data sharing as seen with the popular S-Beam on the Samsung Galaxy SIII and soon coming SIV.

However, it is the coming possibilities of NFC that have our office in a buzz. Have you heard of Google Wallet yet? Google Wallet is a mobile payment system developed by Google that allows its users to store debit cards, credit cards, loyalty cards, and gift cards among other things, as well as redeeming sales promotions on their mobile phone. Using NFC to “make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any PayPass-enabled terminal at checkout.”.

In addition, in some countries such as Austria and Dubai , NFC is currently being trialled or used to pay for public transport. NFC Forum director Debbie Arnold has commented that NFC “enables a lot of things” in terms of transportation and also indicated that several meetings regarding the integration of NFC into passenger check-in, ticket issue and departure lounge entrance, with large US airlines have gone successfully.